Pros:
– Good picture quality in 4K content
– HDMI 2.1 ports with support for eARC
– Dual-band WiFi
– Access to picture and sound settings on the fly
– Android TV 10 with clean UI
– Affordable
Cons:
– No Dolby Vision support
– No analogue audio output
– No dedicated power button yet
– Erratic contrast at times
The Y series TVs from OnePlus are their most economical models since they come with only the bare minimum of features that are required and nothing extravagant, which is essentially what potential customers in this market segment look for. There are certain enhancements that come with adding the Pro suffix, and the most recent Y series TVs are really much more similar to the U series, which is comparatively more expensive.
The OnePlus TV 50 Y series that we have for review today resembles the 50 U1S that we evaluated a few months ago, except that it lacks far-field microphones and Dynaudio sound and has a slightly cheaper start price. If so, it could result in excellent value for the money. Let's find out the real quality of this Y series TV is.
This TV has an almost bezel-less design on three sides, just as the U1S. The bottom bezel isn't very thick either, and unlike the U1S's grey edge, it's entirely black here. A normal, compact chin that houses the power LED and IR receiver has been installed in place of the lengthy, trapezoidal chin that previously housed several LEDs and receivers for far-field microphones. Although the Y1S Pro's design is flawless, it lacks the U1S's sense of style and feels like any other bezel-less TV.
The included plastic supports, which don't seem as strong as the metal ones but keep the TV securely in place, may be used to wall-mount the TV or set it up on a desk. The kit includes all of the required screws. You receive the standard OnePlus voice-activated remote control along with two AAA batteries to run it. Although the remote is small, it still lacks a separate power button; more on that in a moment.
You have all the major connectivity issues resolved, with the exception of one. Three HDMI 2.1 connectors are provided, one of which supports eARC, which I find to be a welcome feature in a cheap TV. You also have a LAN port, optical audio out, A/V input, and two USB 2.0 connections. There is still no coaxial A/V out or 3.5 mm headphone port for analogue audio output. Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band WiFi with compatibility for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks are available as wireless communication choices.
When you turn on the TV from the mains, it boots up in less than 40 seconds, which is about normal for Android TVs. After that, the TV quickly resumes operation from standby mode. Similar to its more expensive brothers, it takes a lengthy time to enter standby mode. The lack of a distinct power button on this OnePlus TV was previously addressed, and its consequences were also mentioned. It's about time the business introduced this essential need.
Everything else functions as planned. The voice assistant usually responds very quickly. The default media player also does an excellent job at playing back media on USB.